Pam Anderson forced her agent to let her accept the lead role in her biggest flop

Those who lived through 1996 likely remember the disaster of David Hogan’s bizarre sci-fi film “Barb Wire.” It starred Pamela Anderson, who had achieved international fame thanks to her performance in the hit series “Baywatch,” and the actress was all set to star in feature films. In what could be seen as a baffling move, she has agreed to star in a high-octane version of the “Barb Wire” comic books, created by Chris Warner and the CGW team and published by Dark Horse Comics, the same company behind the hit film “The Mask” two years ago. “Barb Wire” is set in the distant future of 2017 when the United States is in the midst of a long-running civil war. Barb was a stripper and bar owner who oversaw the Hammerhead, a remote drinking spot that served as the only safe and free outpost in the war-torn country.

The story saw Barb reunited with an old lover named Axel (Temuera Morrison) and his new girlfriend Dr. Devonshire (Victoria Royle). Axel needed Barb’s help fleeing the country, hoping their past would motivate her to get the right exit visas for them. If the story sounds familiar, that’s because “Barb Wire” is a dystopian, sci-fi, sex-flipped interpretation of “Casablanca.”

As we know now, “Barb Wire” was a flop of epic proportions. It grossed only $3.8 million on its modest $9 million budget, and was panned by critics. Some felt that the film could have been more campy, while others felt that all attempts at sentimentality were melodramatic and stupid. It’s starting to appear on lists of worst movies ever made. Of course, this is hardly the case. In fact, in hindsight, The movie is wonderfully entertaining. However, in 1995, Anderson was a participant on Barb Wire. in Old article in the Los Angeles TimesAnderson announced that she had accepted the “Barb Wire” job without seeing the script, and against the advice of her manager. Maybe it wasn’t wise.

It is worth noting that Anderson was still appearing on “Baywatch.” When “Barbed Wire” came out.. In fact, she had already been on the series for three years at that point. But it seems she felt it was time to start diversifying, or face career stagnation. Anderson was a fan of the “Barb Wire” comics, and thought she would be a fun, over-the-top character to spin off. But Anderson’s unnamed manager felt that playing a superior character would not be good for Anderson’s career, and told her not to accept the gig. Anderson challenged him, saying:

“My manager wanted to turn it down, and he said, ‘You’re not going to play a cartoon character.’ (…) But when I read the comic book, I knew that no one could play this character except me. I agreed to do it without even seeing the script. I thought at this point in my career I was lucky to be working, and it seemed to me that Barb was having a lot of fun shooting a movie.

In fact, Anderson felt that Barb was close to her personally. Barb is a cartoon character who refuses to let the slimy men around her be cruel or rude. Early in the film, Barb kills a man with her high-heeled shoes for a crime he called “babe.” Barb was a messy character, and Anderson could relate to that. She continued:

“It’s actually closer to me than anything I’ve ever done. I feel like I’ve made my way into Hollywood, and I’m always in trouble and doing things on the side but in the end I get to where I want to be, and that’s how Barb is. There’s a sinister, twisted, dark streak inside me that I can finally explore with this character.”

The Los Angeles Times article came before the leak of a personal VHS tape she made with her husband, and “Barb Wire” came out afterward. In light of this, Barb became more empowered.

Aside from Anderson’s manager, no one felt that “Barbed Wire” was unwise, and no one thought it would fail. In fact, Anderson was nothing but positive about the film, talking about how fun it was to be an action hero, and how brutal it was to dress up in weird costumes for a sci-fi movie. Her co-star Jack Noseworthy, who plays Barb’s little brother in the film, loved Anderson’s stage presence, and director David Hogan was impressed by her range as an actress.

Anderson knew she was fighting an uphill battle with “Barb Wire,” even though she knew most audience members would only view her as CJ, her character on “Baywatch.” But Anderson felt that “Barb Wire” was powerful enough to transcend any stereotype. In fact, this was the first project in a while that she admitted she was excited about. Anderson said:

“It’s hard to be on TV for a while with a character that people are familiar with, and then move on to movies. I hope people will see the ‘Barb Wire’ ads and realize that this isn’t CJ on the beach. It’s something completely different. It’s also something I’m proud of…and I never say that about anything I do. I hate pictures myself, and I never watch the shows I do. But I was watching these dailies thinking, “This sounds so good!”

Unfortunately, the barbed wire fell. She was clearly a victim of the scandals in which Anderson found herself embroiled. The failure was unfair to her and the film. These days, Anderson is receiving a lot of praise for her performances in films like “The Last Showgirl.” And “The Naked Gun.” She is now living her best life. Maybe you still love “Barb Wire.”